They Told Me to Build Good Karma by Selling Side Dishes - Chapter 17

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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17. The Dish Theft Incident (1)

For days now, dishes had been disappearing and reappearing in a repeating cycle. And on top of that.

‘My mind isn’t functioning properly right now….’

I stared at my reflection in the bathroom mirror. My skin had taken on an ashen pallor, and dark circles hung heavily beneath my eyes. At the sight of my pathetic appearance, a long sigh escaped unbidden.

“This isn’t simple forgetfulness.”

At first, I’d attributed it to mere absent-mindedness. I’d been working so hard, after all—it was plausible. But the pattern of disappearances was far too consistent.

It was as though someone were deliberately targeting me, coming and going from the Side Dish Shop.

‘But why only dishes?’

Moreover, the returned dishes shared a common trait. A faint marking on the surface—like a target someone had intentionally left behind. It was smooth enough to vanish at the touch of fingertips, yet when light caught it, it gleamed with an ethereal glow.

“…M-Manager! Hello! Today I… what was it. I forgot why I came running….”

Judging by the halting speech, it seemed Lee Hae-ra had arrived. She paused thoughtfully before speaking.

“Um… do you have… braised beef…?”

I shifted my gaze from the upper drawer and nodded to Lee Hae-ra.

“Did you come running for the braised beef, Lee Hae-ra?”
“…Yes. I came for it yesterday too….”
“Ah, it was all sold out, wasn’t it?”
“Yes…!”

Lee Hae-ra retrieved the braised beef side dish from the refrigerator, then browsed the other offerings like a shopper.

“Why don’t I have a bigger appetite? Watching mukbang videos makes me so jealous.”
“Right? If you did, you’d probably boost our shop’s sales quite a bit, Lee Hae-ra.”
“Hehe… I know, right.”

Lee Hae-ra purchased only braised meat and placed it on the counter.

“You’ve been buying only braised meat lately?”
“Well… I’ve gotten hooked on braised meat bibimbap. And the braised meat you make, boss, is the most tender and soft! I love it!”

I finished ringing up the braised meat and handed it to Lee Hae-ra in a paper bag.

“Once I get fixated on a food I like, I can only eat that… And, um…”

Lee Hae-ra gripped the paper bag tightly and averted her gaze slightly.

“And?”
“It just tastes better when you make it, boss…”

Her voice trailed off until it was barely a whisper.

“Is that so? Then I’ll work harder on making side dishes. I can just carve out more time to prepare them.”
“If you ever need help, I’ll come by! Well then… I should get going!”

I watched Lee Hae-ra hurry out of the shop and burst into laughter.

As the morning rush was winding down, I checked the display refrigerator for side dishes.

“There’s a missing side dish…”

Huh? I spotted an empty plastic container in the display refrigerator.

“Why is there no side dish?”

I immediately opened the refrigerator door and confirmed the empty plastic container. As light caught the surface, the hibiscus leaf pattern embossed on the plastic gleamed faintly.

‘This is starting to irritate me…’

So they’re even touching the side dishes now. There has to be a limit to mocking someone. If I let this continue, my anger might escalate further.

“This won’t do.”

You’ve touched my reverse scale. I headed into the Kitchen and reached toward the upper drawer.
But infuriatingly, the ordinary bowls I was trying to grab simply vanished into thin air as if being whisked away by medicine.

‘Fine then. Let’s see if you can touch this too. If you mess with this one, I’m calling the number on that business card I got when we signed the contract.’

With stubborn determination kindling within me, I pulled out a single ceramic bowl that I’d kept stored deep in the drawer.

A bowl that Grandmother Hyang-suk had treasured dearly.

“Huh…?”

The pattern was already visible before light even grazed it—five mugunghwa petals bleeding across the white glaze.

‘This isn’t… an ordinary pattern.’

The atmosphere inside the Side Dish Shop suddenly grew heavy and oppressive.

Ding-a-ling—

The bell above the shop door chimed on its own despite no one opening it. Then petals began drifting upward from the bowl, one by one, floating gently into the air.

Within them, a human form materialized, hazy and indistinct.

He wore his hair in a long topknot and dressed in traditional hanbok beneath a silk durumagi robe. His broad shoulders and sharp gaze radiated an elegance that transcended time itself.

“Where am I?”

His gaze swept across the shop once before fixing on the bowl in my hands.

“Oh?”

He leaned forward, bringing his face close. A deep voice resonated low in my ear.

“It’s been a long time. Hyang-suk? Or… her granddaughter?”
“Ah… you know me?”

The scholar closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them slowly. The mugunghwa pattern in his gaze gleamed with a soft radiance.

“I am the Pungsu Divine Being.”
“The… Pungsu Divine Being?”

I took a small step backward.

“That bowl you’re holding—it’s the very one your Grandmother Hyang-suk graciously served me a fine meal in.”
“You were served a meal?”
“Why? Is there some clause forbidding divine beings from dining with humans?”
“No, that’s not it….”

The scholar gently lifted the bowl from my hands.

“Has something happened recently?”
“Yes? Quite a lot, actually.”
“Did you perform the opening ceremony ritual?”

The mention of an opening ceremony ritual set my mind racing.

“No? I haven’t. I’ve been far too busy preparing for the shop’s opening.”

That’s when it happened.

“What brings the Pungsu Divine Being here?”

Hae-tae yawned widely as he padded into the kitchen.

“The bowl simply guided me here.”
“Blast it all.”
“Haha! Hae-tae’s curses are absolutely delightful.”

Listening to their exchange, I raised my hand and asked.

“Pungsu Divine Being, why did you mention the opening ceremony ritual?”
“The divine being will continue to meddle, like this?”

The Pungsu Divine Being flicked his fingers lightly, and suddenly the refrigerator doors swung open and slammed shut with thunderous clangs.

The side dish containers on the shelves rattled and collided with each other, while bottle caps popped off with sharp cracks. Startled, I clutched Hae-tae close, my eyes wide as I stared at the Pungsu Divine Being.

“…Is this how it’s supposed to go? Why are you doing this?”
“In modern terms, it’s a Divine Being’s tasting ceremony for the shop’s opening blessing.”

The Pungsu Divine Being chuckled mischievously, but his eyes gleamed with a sharp glint as he continued.

“If you don’t perform the opening blessing ceremony and the Divine Being keeps playing pranks, the spiritual energy dwelling in the shop becomes disrupted. Then the owner can’t rest easy, and customers won’t linger long.”
“Customers won’t linger long…?”
“That’s right. It means your regulars could disappear!”

The Pungsu Divine Being raised his index finger and laughed wickedly.

“No, no! That absolutely cannot happen!”

I shook my head vigorously.

“Didn’t anyone advise you that you needed to perform the opening blessing ceremony?”

I lowered my gaze to look at Hae-tae, whom I held in my arms.

“…I forgot about it too, meow.”

The Pungsu Divine Being laughed, looking at Hae-tae.

“Even a Divine Beast grows old?”
“You’re calling me old? That’s rich coming from you, meow.”
“Old? I’m still in my prime.”

The Pungsu Divine Being playfully countered.

“Then, let me try contacting someone.”
“Contacting whom?”
“Lee Yeo-ui.”
“That company?”

I found the business card Lee Yeo-ui had given me earlier in the counter drawer.

[Lee Yeo-ui]
[444 ? 010 ? 1111]

‘I should ask an expert about this.’

I immediately pulled out my smartphone and dialed the number.

Errrr—

The phone hadn’t even finished ringing twice.

“Wait just a moment—!”

Lee Ju-taek’s head popped out from the bottom of the Side Dish Shop’s refrigerator, his breathing ragged. His face was flushed crimson, and frost scattered like powder through his hair.

“What is it?”
“It’s been so long! Hae-tae! ?!”
“It has been a while, but what’s with this state of yours?”
“I came in such a rush.”

Lee Ju-taek straightened his back and extracted himself from the refrigerator’s lower compartment. He brushed away the ice crystals clinging to his thick jacket.

“Our team leader was busy, so I came in their place! What did you call about?”
“The Pungsu Divine Being appeared.”
“The Pungsu Divine Being… what?”

Lee Ju-taek’s eyes widened as he looked at the figure.

“Hello? It’s been a long time, Pungsu Divine Being!”
“Ah, Ju-taek, it’s been a while?”

The two grasped hands with evident warmth, their grip firm. A brief spark of energy crackled between their fingertips.

“You still have that same temperament!”
“You haven’t changed either.”

The two clearly knew each other.

“So, why have you come here, Pungsu Divine Being?”
“Since Grandmother Hyang-suk passed, I thought I’d stop by to see the new owner of the vessel.”
“Ah, I see!”

The Pungsu Divine Being’s gaze shifted to the bowl I held in my hand.

“This bowl is no mere tableware. It is a testament to a meal shared between divine and human, a medium of covenant. Yet why did you not perform the opening ceremony ritual?”

Lee Ju-taek laughed awkwardly and scratched the back of his neck.

“We’ve been too busy!”
“Mm… I understand being busy. However.”

The Pungsu Divine Being paused thoughtfully, then furrowed his brow.

“Even when you’re busy, you shouldn’t neglect what truly matters, should you?”
“There are many mountains in South Korea, and many mountain spirits as well. Being summoned constantly from place to place….”

Lee Ju-taek clenched his teeth and continued.

“And there’s an enormous amount of work to do, isn’t there?”

The Pungsu Divine Being chuckled lightly and countered.

“Isn’t that precisely why you started the Company? The more merit you accumulate, the higher your chances of becoming divine. Why blame the gods?”

Are they about to fight? I whispered into Hae-tae’s ear.

“Should I stop them?”
“We’ll see how it goes.”

Hae-tae blinked calmly once.

Crash!—

The sound of a display case door slamming shut echoed from one corner of the Side Dish Shop.

Inside the refrigerated display case for side dishes, a plastic container was moving all by itself, very slowly. It looked precarious, as though it might tumble down at any moment.

“See? This is what happens when you don’t perform the ritual—the divine play pranks like this.”
“How leisurely must the divine be to come to the human realm and play tricks?”

The Pungsu Divine Being crossed his arms and shrugged. Sensing the conversation could spiral endlessly, I interjected.

“Ah! So that’s it, Lee Ju-taek! How exactly should we conduct the opening ceremony ritual?”
“The opening ceremony ritual, you see!”

Lee Ju-taek pulled a crumpled notebook from his pocket and unfolded it. Talisman fragments and dried mugwort tumbled out from between the pages.

“First, we must cleanse all the energy flowing through the eight directions of the shop. So I’ll unfurl a scroll to dispel the energy. A table with ritual vessels will appear there. Second, the second step is….”

As Lee Ju-taek scratched his head as if he’d forgotten, the Pungsu Divine Being interjected.

“Second, you place the side dishes you made on top of those ritual vessels.”

Lee Ju-taek smiled meaningfully.

“Yes, exactly! Third, you simply wait until the side dishes on the table disappear. A ritual doesn’t have to be solemn, after all!”

Well, that was a relief. Lee Ju-taek slipped his hand between his jacket panels, signaling he was ready to begin.

“Right now….”

I stopped Lee Ju-taek as he moved to start. I still had the shop to run!

“Wait a moment, Lee Ju-taek!”

Lee Ju-taek blinked at me.

“Pardon? Is something the matter?”

I forced a smile and asked.

“Haha… it’s still business hours, you see. Let’s do this after we’ve sent all the customers away, shall we?”

Lee Ju-taek pondered my words for a moment, then slowly withdrew his hand from inside his jacket.

“Ah! Of course! Actually, this works out perfectly. Opening rituals are better performed at night anyway. It’s quieter, and the divine beings can rest more comfortably.”

The Pungsu Divine Being nodded, arms crossed.

“True words indeed. The doors open wider when darkness falls.”
“Pardon? What did you say? What does that even mean?”

Hearing those words, I actually thought it might be better to do it during the day instead. My body trembled with a chilling unease as a cold sensation seeped into my bones.

“No, should we do it now? It’s lunchtime anyway, so there won’t be many customers….”
“No. We can’t interfere with the shop’s operations.”

This time, the Pungsu Divine Being firmly raised his hand to stop me.

‘…Nothing bad will happen at night, right?’

At least there’s sunlight during the day, but night is terrifying!

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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